16 alleged gang members charged
KUALA LUMPUR: A tense atmosphere enveloped the High Court here yesterday as 16 alleged members of “Gang 360 Devan” were charged with being part of an organised crime group.
Armed policemen kept a watchful eye as about 100 people, believed to be family members of the accused, gathered at the court complex as early as 8am to follow the proceedings.
The crowd was not allowed to enter the courtroom, so they watched the proceedings via a live broadcast on a large screen set up in front of the courtroom entrance.
The 16 accused — D. R. Yasotaran, S. Manimaran, C. Murugan, L. Lengas Seperan, D. R. Yasothararaj, D. Sivanantha, A. Balan, M. Sathia Tamil Siva, P. Sures, P. Murugan, B. Ravindran, K. Ram Kumar, D. Manivannan, S. Logonanthan, S. Maran and M. Murugan — were charged under Section 130V(1) of the Penal Code with being members of Gang 360 Devan.
They face up to 20 years in jail, if convicted
The suspects, aged between 24 and 48, pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them in Tamil by a court translator before judge Datuk Mohd Sofian Abdul Razak.
They were accused of committing the offence at Empayer Sdn Bhd, No 1, Jalan Perniagaan Masria 1, Pusat Perniagaan Masria, Batu 9, Cheras, here, between January 2015 and February this year.
The men were arrested under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) 2012.
Under Sosma, an accused is not allowed bail until the disposal of the case.
All are being held at Sungai Buloh Prison.
Deputy public prosecutors Saiful Idris Zainuddin, Mohamad Mustaffa, P. Kunyalam and Muhammad Fadzlan Mohd Noor prosecuted, while some of the accused were represented by Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Datuk Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin, Joanne Chua, Gerard Lazaruz and Vijay Eswaran.
The court ordered the 16 to be jointly tried together with 36 others, including Datuk M. Kalai Arasu, who was charged with the same offence at the High Court two month ago.
The court fixed five days, between Oct 2 and 6, for the trial.
Gang 360 Devan is said to be a splinter group of Gang 36, which has been linked to violent crimes, and high-profile murders.